


A pet isn't just for Christmas

by liliaeth



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Slavery, Body Modification, Bottom Jensen, Conditioning, Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, M/M, Objectification, Pet Store, Puppy Play, Sexual Slavery, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 17:47:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liliaeth/pseuds/liliaeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where debtor service is the norm, Jensen gets manipulated into becoming a pet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The debtor's service

**Author's Note:**

  * For [minchout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minchout/gifts).



> So much thanks to tipsy_kitty for being willing to review this on a day's notice. You're a lifesaver

Jensen knew that when he signed on for the Quenten plan for Student Loans, there were risks involved. Everyone knew the risks. But it was still the cheapest and easiest way to get a loan. Not to mention, the only way to go to college now that most scholarships were limited to only the rarest of cases. You practically had to be a child genius and head to college at twelve to be considered good enough to get one.

They said it was to keep the colleges from getting overcrowded, that people were getting too dependent on hand outs, that people should earn their entry instead of having it handed to them.  Except, of course, for those who had the money to pay their own way.

The Quenten plan looked so good on paper. All it demanded was that the student steadily pay their bills on a monthly basis. As long as you didn’t miss a single payment, as long as you didn’t default, there wasn’t any problem. The interest rates were generally low and with his parents’ help, it shouldn’t be too impossible to pay off a steady sum of $800 a month, especially once he started working. As a doctor he should have had no problem paying off his debts and returning his parents’ money in no time.

He was young and fit, so going through the medical had been easy as pie, and up until a month ago, he’d thought he was home free. He’d graduated cum laude in his pre-med class and he was a shoo-in for medical school. His parents had taken him to dinner along with Josh and Mac and they’d celebrated the occasion in one of Houston’s finest restaurants.

They’d been on their way back home when the accident happened. His father had died on the scene; his mother had lingered a few weeks more.  Josh had spent two weeks at the hospital and the costs for his surgery just to keep his kidneys working was adding up. Not to mention the cost of the dialysis he’d have to go through for the rest of his life. There was a chance of him getting a transplant, maybe, in a few years, but even if they waited for that, there was no way they could use their parents’ life insurance for anything beyond Josh’s medical expenses. Jensen had come home to look after Mac, got her back to school, back to her own life. But the house seemed empty without his mother’s voice as she stood cooking over the stove, or his father’s cursing at whatever was screwing up his garden. Now the three of them lived there, side by side, none of them really daring to break the silence to talk to one another, all of them too scared to admit that they might have to sell the home their parents had been so proud of.

Jensen knew they’d been lucky that Josh’s girlfriend had been willing to help out, especially with Mac, but with the state of Josh’s health, could they really ask her for anything more than that? Anna said she would, but for how long? How long would her love for Josh mean more than the burden he’d bring upon her?

Jensen hadn’t even thought about signing up for fall classes. Hell, even if he had, there was no way his new loan would be granted, not without his parents to co-sign with him.  Not without anything new to put up as collateral.  He was 22 years old, and all he had was a college degree in pre-med, which was pretty much useless for anything but getting into medical school. Even if he found a job tomorrow, there was no way he’d get enough money together to start paying his loan before they’d send the first bill. He could drag it out, sure, sell everything he owned for a few months, get into what little was left of their inheritance, which should be going to Josh’s care, and all it would do was keep him safe for at most a year before the debt collectors were sent after him.  Most of all, it would mean that Mac and Josh would have even less. That they’d have to sell the house for sure, put Josh in some small damp apartment that would only make his lungs worse. It wasn’t like Josh didn’t have his own student debts to worry about.  And then the collectors would come for both of them, and Mac as well, because she was their dependent now.

Jensen stared at the payment form, at the promise it should have held. And tore it up.

He packed his stuff carefully, knowing it might be years before he saw any of it again. He’d already arranged for Anna to look after Mac, until Josh was capable of doing so. Anna had cried when he asked her.  She would have been his sister in law, she still might be, if Josh survived, if… God.

What was left of his stuff, after selling anything that might make a profit, was going to a storage facility that Jensen had paid off for the next twenty years. It was the only money he’d dared to spend on himself; Mac had promised she’d take care of his things if he wasn’t free by then. He wasn’t going to hold her to it.

His car was sold and the money put aside for Mac, and she got his computer as well. It felt as if he were committing suicide, and in a way, he was.  Twenty years was a minimum, but there was no guarantee that he’d get free that soon, if ever. He tried not to think of that option either.

Anna dropped him off at the home office, waiting for him outside in the unlikely case they gave him an extension. They rarely did. He didn’t expect to come out. Not as Jensen Ackles at least, and definitely not as a free man.

The receptionist smiled at him; he’d noticed her collar before, had wondered if it was meant to be a warning. But back then he hadn’t taken the risk serious enough. He should have.

“Can I help you.”

He looked down, ashamed. “I’m going to have to default my debt.” He whispered the words.  The woman looked up for a second, and then gave him a kind smile.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have grounds for an extension? The Quenten agency does offer delays as long as you are still a full-time student.”

“I can’t afford it.” He knew he sounded defeated.

She nodded her head. “Please take your place in the waiting area.”

He stared back at the gray plastic seats and walked up to them. Five minutes later two security guards, not all that inconspicuously, entered the lobby. Their eyes never left Jensen.  As if he were going to make a run for it now, when he’d already admitted to failing his payment plan before it had even began.

It’s not like the thought of running hadn’t entered his mind. Several of his friends had even offered to help him out. He hadn’t taken them up on it. The agency would come after him, hunt him down until he was backed in a corner and drag him off for auction anyway. Then they would recoup the cost of hunting him down from what little family he had left, adding the bills for the hunt to the rest of his debts.  And he didn’t even want to think where he’d end up if he did that. Technically, debtors had rights, they weren’t criminals, there were supposed to be protections. But really, some of the things you could be sold for, you might as well write your last will before going in. If it had to happen, if he had to be sold, he’d rather stay on their good side and retain as much of his dignity as he could manage.

“Mister Ackles?” He looked up, staring at the man who’d been his caseworker from the start. “Would you please follow me.”

Jensen followed the man to his office, and sat down in the chair as ordered.

“I just took a look at your file. A true tragedy what happened to your family.”

Of course they already had everything on file; these days, it would have been a bigger surprise if they hadn’t.

“I’m afraid though that at this time it would be impossible to offer your family another loan for your further education.”

Jensen kept his head down and nodded.

“Nor would the head office allow a further extension. I assume that there is no chance that you will be able to start your payment plan next month?”

Jensen shook his head. “We need the money.”

“Yes, I can see that, your brother’s bills are quite extensive. “

Jensen shivered.

“Mister Ackles, do you understand what will happen if you default on your payment?”

“I become collateral on my debt and my debt will be sold on the market,” Jensen whispered.

“Quite correct.” The file was pushed back in a folder and Jensen suddenly felt a hand on his. “We are not inhuman, Mister Ackles. And we do appreciate those debtors who are intelligent enough to come in themselves rather than make it harder on both parties. We will of course make an effort to find you a compatible purpose that will make best use of your … skills as it were, to ensure that your service is over as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, sir.” Jensen couldn’t help but think that he’d probably spend the rest of his life working in some factory, or worse; at best he’d end up working from morning to evening at some office, doing all the jobs nobody else wanted to do.

“Are your affairs in order or do you require a few more weeks to settle your situation?”

Oh right, get a few more weeks on the outside, only to grow more and more scared as the deadline approached.

“No. I … settled everything before I came here. I just need to call my … friend, she was waiting just in case…”

The man smiled even larger at that.

“Good, you can call her now, and I will get everything ready so we can have you processed before dinner time.”

Jensen hated the way the guy looked at him; he took the opportunity given, got up and called Anna, intentionally trying not to look at the man that was determining his fate for the rest of his life..

When he turned back he was just in time to catch the man staring at him. 

 “Now Mister Ackles.  Let’s start looking at some papers, shall we?”

Jensen turned back to him.  “Is it fine for me to keep standing?” he asked, too nervous to sit down again.

“Of course, whatever makes you more comfortable, Jensen. You don’t mind if I call you Jensen, do you?”

Jensen shook his head. “No, sir,” he whispered.

“Now I already have most of the information that you gave us when you signed up for your loan. Your full name is Jensen Ross Ackles, you are 22 years old, your birthday is March 1st.  You graduated as valedictorian of your class in high school, and cum laude at the University of Texas.  You are bisexual, came out to your parents in high school and have been a member of various gay rights groups over the years. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Your last medical checkup was a month ago, when you went in as a bone marrow donor for your brother. I have already arranged a meeting with our in-house medical team for a further investigation, but so far everything seems to be in order. You are considered above average in regards to looks.” Jensen startled a bit at the way the man said that as if it were a matter of fact. “But you lack the arrogance that usually comes with such same. You are athletic, a member of your school’s track team and during the school year you played volleyball on campus at least once a week. You have had two girlfriends and one boyfriend up until now, and have had sexual intercourse with only two of them.”

Jensen sputtered in shock at the words.

“Unless you lied on the files you signed when you donated blood?”

Jensen shook his head.

“Would you say you are sexually adventurous, Jensen?”

“No!”

He didn’t like the way this was going. Jensen knew about the kinds of ‘service’ that people bought debts over.  Heavy labor, factories, medical experimentation, servants, white collar service, all of them with their own downsides. But the one most people tried to avoid talking about was the sexual service. Someone could buy your debt, and turn you into a sex slave and there’d be nothing you could do to stop them, not once you signed on the dotted line.

“I can’t, I won’t. I’ve got…”

“Jensen, most people who are in debt hope for white service labor, it’s probably the most desired form of service. It’s also why we have started to limit it to people with actual skills and experience as personal assistants, accountants, people who know several language or other such skills.

The only job experience you have is handling the register in that bookstore you’ve been working at for the past four years, and a few more years at McDonalds as a teenager.”

“I could work in a factory, at farms, I’m sure I can learn to clean, to….”

“I’m afraid most of those jobs have a similar requirement. There are millions of debtors in this country, Jensen, and a lot of them are not just older but more experienced than you.”

He wasn’t going to cry.

“Now of course you could sign up for medical experimentation. They do pay higher amounts than a regular form of service, and you might even be free in far less than ten years if you did that.”

Jensen giggled almost hysterically at that. “And come out how, half blind, with half my organs ruined?”

“There are indeed risks involved.”

“I can’t….”

The man didn’t say a word.

“Can I… can I state things I won’t do?”

“You can, but I’d suggest you don’t add too many items on that list. The more things you forbid, the harder it will be to place you, and the longer your service will last, of course.”

Jensen knew he was falling into a panic attack, and the harder he tried to fight it off, the worse the feeling became. He wrote down a refusal to be involved in scat, watersports , bestiality and necrophilia. They were the four worst things he could think of at first thought. By the time he signed the contract, his vision tunneled on the caseworker’s desk as he finally sank back down in the chair, his eyes focusing on the name plaque in front of him for the first time since he came in.

Kripke.

It didn’t matter.

There were more questions, about his family’s health history, emotional entanglements, his criminal record. By the time they were through, it seemed like they knew everything there was to know about him and even some things that Jensen himself hadn’t even been aware of.

Then came the tests. The medical exam was as expected—thoroughly humiliating and utterly degrading. Where Kripke had at least treated him as a person, the doctor acted like he was just a piece of merchandise to be examined for its value.

And yet, regardless of how bad all that had been, Jensen would have gone through it a million times if it had meant avoiding what came next. The mental tests were exhausting, several hours of unrelenting, ongoing, repetitive questions. By the third hour, Jensen had stopped even trying to think about what his answers would say about him, and just responded on instinct and truth.

Which was probably the intention all along.

 When it was finally over he was sent to a cafeteria, where Mister Kripke told the lunch ladies to give him something to eat. Jensen had cringed when the man patted him on the shoulder all patronizing, and told him, “You’re property of the Quenten Agency now, Jensen. Best to keep you in tip top shape.” The woman behind the counter looked at Jensen in pity before giving him an extra spoonful on his plate. He didn’t dare tell her he wasn’t hungry, too wrecked with nerves to eat.

Instead he sat down at a table and pushed his food around on his plate. There were some free men and women spread around the room, but most of the people here wore collars. Jensen’s would be measured after lunch, or so Mister Kripke had told him. “Isn’t it exciting?” the man had asked. Jensen had been seconds away from punching him in the face.

“So what are you in for?” Jensen stared up at the girl who’d dropped down on the seat in front of him. She was wearing a white outfit similar to the one Jensen had been given.

“Wh…”

“My parents couldn’t pay off the loan on the new house. Guess they figured it was safer to put me up as collateral instead of themselves.” The girl grabbed some fries off Jensen’s plate and Jensen was too slow to manage to slap her hand away from them.  Besides, it’s not like he had an appetite, he ended up pushing his plate towards her. She grinned.  “I’m Gen.”

“Jensen,” he answered, figuring that maybe he did want one of his fries; she pushed the plate back in between them.

“I didn’t think they could do that,” he said.

“Well not technically, but as long as you’re underage your parents can sign stuff in your name.  Since I’m 17, the Agency can’t really sell me for at least a few more months, but they have every right to start my training early, so they can get more money out of me when they do sell me.”

“They don’t…”

“Riiight, when they sell my contract, but really, what’s the diff.”

Jensen nodded and took another fry.

“So what about you, pretty boy?”

“Student loans.” He nibbled on the fry, pulled it back out, dipped it in ketchup and sucked it up before pushing it back in between his lips. She was quiet and he looked up, she was staring at him in something resembling fascination, it took her a moment of him staring back before she turned away her eyes.

“Those suck,” she said, grabbing another one of his fries.

“You think?”

“So why sign up for them if you can’t pay them?” She seemed almost wistful, and he couldn’t blame her. If her parents sold her, she probably hadn’t even finished high school before she ended up here.

He pushed the plate away again, cringing at the thought of feeling sorry for himself. At least he’d had a choice; she never did.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to hit a sore spot.”

“It’s ok, things just… changed.” He could see she wouldn’t want his pity. He reached for his drink, only to realize it was already gone.

“They do that sometimes.” Gen sipped Jensen’s drink. “Hey, chin up, Quenten’s a high-class agency. They wouldn’t sell us to utter lowlifes.” But Quenten rarely if ever sold to individuals, so who knows where they’d end up.

“Because becoming a sex slave is such high class.” Jensen shivered at the very thought, remembering the way they’d acted when Tom’s father had bought that twink that he kept around the office as an “employee of the week” award.  The guy, Mike,  was treated well, Jensen had to admit that, but the way he was kept naked for the most part, ready to spread his legs and be bent over a desk at a moment’s notice, Jensen couldn’t even imagine living like that.

Jensen was almost happy that Gen couldn’t pick up his thoughts as she continued. “It can be. Hell, from the lessons I’ve had, it can even be fun.”

Jensen blushed, thinking about how Mike had leered at him that one time Tom and he had done some intern work for Tom’s dad. He didn’t have a problem with it, as far as Mike was concerned, at least he wasn’t a pet. Jensen couldn’t fault him on that.

“I mean, they won’t actually do anything because I’m too young, but there’s times when I want to, you know what I mean?”

Jensen cringed.

“And as long as you make it clear what you don’t want to do in advance, well… you’re going to spend the next few years doing what they want you to anyway, so what’s wrong with enjoying your job?”

Jensen wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him or herself. Anything to cope with the life forced on her. He wondered which of them was right; he had to admit she was probably the smarter of the two.

He let them guide him back to medical after dinner.  Kripke handed him the final contract and Jensen read it through, looking for the fine print. More to delay things than for any other reason. It wasn’t like his signature was anything more than a formality at this point.

When the collar locked around his throat, it felt like he died.


	2. Roadtrip Blues

He was put up for auction barely two months into his training, most of which involved obedience, following any order no matter how silly, letting go of his pride, of his ego, and becoming the clay that a good debt servant was supposed to be. He wasn’t taught any specifics. Kripke said that it left his options open to a wider public. Some companies preferred doing the training themselves, it saved them the trouble of getting rid of bad habits imposed by different training methods. Looking at some of the training taught in the other classes, Jensen grew more and more scared as the bids went up. Gen had wished him luck earlier, before she’d been sent on to the stage herself. She’d smiled and bended and did everything asked of her as bidding went up and up until she finally ended up sold to a ‘gentleman’ working for a line of elite escorts.

Jensen tried to copy her when he was told to go on stage, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at the crowd, blushing at the idea of any of them looking at him standing here, naked in the spotlights, staring at every part of him and nothing to hide behind. His specs would show up on the screen behind him, but he was kept too busy to look back at them.

He could hear his heartbeat drumming inside of him, and was barely able to follow the trainers’ orders out of sheer nerves. Yet bidding for him started up even more franticly than it had for Gen.

When the gavel finally struck wood, he was taken off the stage and Gen stared at him in pity. He wanted to ask her why. He expected to be taken back in so he could be told where he’d be going, only he wasn’t. He was taken directly to the processing area instead.

He wanted to ask who had bought him, what was happening, but nobody stopped long enough for him to do so. His hard plastic collar was removed and replaced with a shiny new black leather collar and someone put an injector gun up against his neck, burning a code built out of nanochips into his skin in one second of intense pain. He thought about asking for clothes, since he’d been naked for the auction, but nobody stood still long enough for him to find the courage to speak up.

At the end of it all he was pushed in a cage beside two others he’d met in training. Matt was here because of his husband’s medical bills, and Chris had dropped out of school because of a record deal without thinking about what might happen when the song flopped.  Jensen noticed a brand on the cages, but he didn’t recognize the name.

The cage was confusing.  It wasn’t the first time Jensen had found himself in a cage; Quenten had spent some time training them how to wait in one properly. But those had been far larger than these.  Jensen had seen the smaller ones used for the ‘trouble’ cases: the ones who had tried to run. But with people like Jensen, who’d come in voluntarily and who didn’t fight their training, cages were seen as a needless evil. They were given bunk beds in dorms, not cages in the kennel with the criminals.  Jensen tried to get into a more comfortable position, his hand reaching up to the top of the cage that was barely above his head, but his leg was already cramping up just sitting there, so he had to move it to keep the blood flowing.

They were picked up by two men, both of them dressed in black uniforms. Jensen and the others were told to lower their gaze before Jensen had the chance to read the name of the company from their name tags.

The older of the two men, a guy about twice Jensen’s age, attached a water bottle to the side of Jensen’s cage, but he didn’t say a word as he did so. Jensen caught glimpses of the man’s face, kind brown eyes and a thick beard were all he could make out even as the guy refused to make eye contact with any of them as he passed by the cages. Nobody even said a word when the other guy showed up with a forklift and started putting all three cages in the back of a minivan, locking each against the side before closing the door.

Chris started humming a tune and Jensen leaned up against the side of the cage, thinking about his little sister, and how he’d at least managed to keep her out of a situation like this one.  Kripke had promised that if his price went up above a certain minimum, he could have the choice between just paying off his debt faster, or allowing the surplus amount to be sent to his family. He’d chosen the second option. Josh and Mac needed the money. 

He hoped that Mac wouldn’t hate him for doing so when he got to see her next.

By the time the van finally left, he’d somehow managed to start dozing off, even lying down in the most uncomfortable position he’d ever been in.  He woke up, still nicely warm, the cabin had to be heated. He drank some more from his bottle that was starting to lose some of its freshness, and sat back up against the wall, trying not to think of how much he needed to go to the toilet.  It went on like that for quite a while longer. When the van stopped and didn’t start up again right away, all eyes turned to the door, wondering if they’d finally arrived. They hadn’t.

Instead each of them was taken, one by one, to a small fenced-in area obviously meant as some kind of a toilet. It was embarrassing, but Jensen figured that the owners of the gas station didn’t want debtors in their indoor toilets. He peed and crouched down over the small pit, feeling the water start washing it away before he had to look at it. Cold shivers spread over his back. Jensen was almost as happy about the chance to walk and stretch as he was about the toilet break, but even then when the command came to return to his keeper, he obeyed instantly. The man patted him on the head and Jensen flinched at his touch. When he was put back in the cage he found a fresh bottle of water waiting for him, along with a bowl filled with some kind of dry pet food.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” He turned to the bearded man who’d taken him for a walk, but the guy didn’t answer as he rolled up the leash.  Jensen curled up to the side, moving his fingers past his feet, removing some of the dust from his feet.

“Better learn to eat what you’re given, boy,” the man said with a stern face, making it clear that he wouldn’t put up with any more comments from the cage section. “Stuff has everything a healthy pet like you could ever need.”

Jensen had a thousand smart remarks at the ready, but thought better of it, his hand playing through the bowl, grabbing out some of the nuggets and putting them in his mouth. At least they tasted better than they looked.

“Good boy,” the bearded man said before rubbing his hand through Jensen’s hair a second time. Jensen didn’t have enough space to pull away.

Pet. He tried to remember the name that had been on the side of the van.

“We’re heading to a fucking pet store,” Chris growled out as soon as the door closed. Jensen looked up in shock. “The buyer, it’s a human pet store. Damn it, I knew I should have refused to do pet play.”

“Pet play?” Jensen asked, the word barely a whisper. Oh, he’d seen a few human pet stores in the city when he was out with his mom and dad.  Ever since the Peregri virus had decimated the majority of the world’s companion animals, people had been forced to look elsewhere for pets. People missed having dogs around to play with, pet, keep safe or be kept safe by.  They missed cats and their aloofness, or the softness of rabbits or other small furry mammals. The few left in the world were kept protected in zoos or the homes of the extremely wealthy. And then people had gotten the bright idea, that with all the debtors and criminal contract holders around, there was no reason that some of them couldn’t be sold as pets.  Human pets were highly desired; most of the cheaper ones were nonviolent offenders doing their time on all fours, but more expensive stores were a bit more picky in their choices of companions.

“Don’t know how you feel about walking on all fours, barking on command and playing fetch for the next ten years, but I’m out of here the second I have a chance,” Chris spat out as he threw his bowl of food out of the cage and up to the wall.

Jensen flinched, his eyes darting around, hoping beyond hope that the driver hadn’t been listening in. “You can’t…” he started, but Chris shrugged it off. The other debtor kept going on and on about this young pet he’d seen when they were at the producer’s place. How her owner had her on his lap all through their meeting, petting the girl as he talked to Chris and his friends.  It had been decades since the first human pet appeared on the streets, by now they were just a part of life and sure owners were obligated to keep their pets covered up in public, but as long as the pet had the ears, tail and collar, no one would care if an owner decided to play fetch or take their pets to one of the public pet toilets. There was even talk of breeding pets, so that kids could get a puppy who’d never known what it was like to be human. The very thought made Jensen sick.

Matt told Chris to shut up before he could say much more, but all Jensen could think of was the horror that would happen if he did try to escape. Not only did his owners have every right to confiscate Mac, since as one of her older blood relations, Jensen was ‘responsible’ for her, but on top of that, they’d make Josh pay what was left of Jensen’s debt, and with Josh’s health, that’d be a certain death sentence

 And that’s what would happen if somehow, despite it all, he actually succeeded in his escape … the punishments once you were captured after an escape attempt  were notorious. Rumor had it that once they were through with you, the only buyers that would take an interest in your debt were medical research facilities.

Jensen shivered at the thought and curled up in his cage, wishing he had a blanket to hide behind. He tried not to think about the changes that were coming, the things they’d do to him before he got sold, things that would forever set him apart as an animal, even if he did ever go free.  He had to throw up, and pushed his fists to his mouth, desperate to stop himself, knowing that if he let go, they’d be stuck with the stench at least until their next stop.

He was grasping for breath, hyperventilating and the van hadn’t even started up yet. Matt whose cage was closest to the front cabin, started banging the wall next to him, screaming for help. When the back of the van was torn open, the man responsible took one look at Jensen’s face and dragged him out of the cage, kept him from falling face first, until Jensen sank down on his knees and started puking.

The man brushed Jensen’s back as he did so, rubbing in between his shoulder blades. “There there boy. Everything is just fine.” Jensen shivered, barely even feeling the rocks underneath his knees.

“What’s wrong, boy? The food isn’t that bad, now is it?” Jensen couldn’t bring himself to answer.

“That damn idiot just had to start talking about escaping.”  Jensen heard Matt’s words, but the scent of his own puke hit him and he started up again, first losing all the water still in his stomach and then dry heaving as if getting rid of the bad air.

“Was he now?” The man climbed up on the van, turning to Matt, leaving Jensen outside. Jensen didn’t think he could have made a run for it, even if he’d wanted to.

“Yeah, figured out we were going to a pet store, and had to scare the crap out of the kid about it.”

“Bastard.” Jensen could hear the harshness in Chris words, the clatter of him hitting the bars. Jensen saw Chris reach for Matt just as he turned himself around, trying to get to his feet and back to the van.

The bearded man grabbed Chris by the scruff, shaking him for a moment before throwing him back down to the floor. “That, boy, would be a really, really bad idea.” Jensen trembled when the stranger’s kindness turned to a controlled anger, brief, unforgiving. The man’s face turned back to gentle when he saw Jensen coming up to the van.  Jensen tried to get back in, and the man helped him get back inside and once again caressed his back, stroking through his hair before locking the door of the cage after Jensen had managed to crawl inside.

“See, this is a good boy, a good boy who knows what’s best for him. “ It was scarier than the anger, especially when he went up to a trunk at the side of thecargo van and pulled out two sets of blankets, one for Jensen and one for Matt.  “Good boys get treats.” Then he brushed over Jensen and Matt’s hair before turning back to Chris. “Good boys are smart enough to know to do as they’re told, good boys know better than to try and run, they know what side the bread’s buttered on. Bad boys, on the other hand, are too stupid to do even that much.” Jensen cringed.

“What? You think you’re the first one to feel humiliated because life didn’t turn out the way you planned it? You think that you could just run and leave us and everything would be fine? Boy, you have no idea of the trouble you could get yourself in. This life? It isn’t the worst. If you’re good, you might even come to enjoy it, to let yourself be pampered and treated like a beloved part of someone’s family. But then, that isn’t good enough for someone as proud as you, is it, boy?”

Jensen knew the words weren’t just aimed at Chris, that it was a lecture they were all supposed to learn from. The worst part was how much of it sounded just like what Gen had told him at the agency. Since they didn’t have a choice, they might as well enjoy what their new life had to offer.  But would he still recognize himself if he did?

The bearded man removed Chris’s water bottle and put it in a box on the side before grabbing a gag and turning back to the cage and the debtor inside of it. “Now are you going to open your snout willingly, or do I have to make you?” Chris didn’t, and the man grabbed his face, keeping a hand over his nose until Chris had no choice but to open his mouth and have the gag slammed in. the man was too fast for Chris to spit it back out before it was padlocked behind Chris’s neck. Then Chris’s hands were fit with some kind of gloves that seemed to limit his movements.

“Just be happy that you’re still in training, boy. Because things can get a whole lot worse than this.”

Then he closed the door of Chris’s cage, once again petted Matt and Jensen, checked up on Jensen’s breathing and refilled the remaining water bottles before getting out of the cabin. Jensen was left trembling in his wake.

Chris was glaring at Matt, but Matt just pointed at the camera in the corner.

“I’m not going to make life harder on me just because you’re being an idiot,” Matt said, before turning his back to the other debtor and using the blanket as a pillow. Jensen just curled it around himself and lay down, grabbing a few more nuggets to eat as he did so.

The van had five more stops before they arrived at their destination, one of which served to pick up another pet, the third to pick up supplies. The driver returned Chris’s water bottle at their next stop, removing his gag as he did so. The guy made it clear that the gag would go right back in if Chris caused any more trouble. Jensen wondered where the bearded man had gone. He didn’t dare ask.

The girl in the fourth cage sat huddled up in a corner. She wore a red tattoo, which marked her as a criminal. The color indicated she’d been involved with illegal prostitution. Everybody knew how stupid it was to go against the brothels, they hated it when people sold themselves on the streets without giving them their fair share of the cut. Oh sure, they said it was for the protection of the sex workers in their care, to keep up the high standards the American public expected. But who believed that?

Both Jensen and Matt got another petting and Jensen was ashamed to admit he leaned into it. He’d always been a physical type of guy, enjoying touches from his friends and family; trapped in the cage and feeling vulnerable as he did, he felt the need even more so.

When they finally arrived it was close to morning. The sun rose in the sky as the cages were pulled out of the van.  By then Chris had received a blanket as well.  Jensen hid inside his blanket against the cold morning air, waiting for them to either carry the cages inside, or let him and the others out.

And then the bearded man was back, a woman standing right beside him as she looked at all four prospective pets waiting to be taken inside.  “Not a bad catch, Jeff,” the woman said. “And you’re sure they’re all legal?”

“I got the first three from Quenten’s, and the girl’s straight from the San Diego auction house. You know they don’t release anyone without checking everything at least thrice over.”

The woman snorted at that as she opened Jensen’s cage and motioned at him to crawl out. Jensen hesitated a moment, still holding on to the blanket, even if only to hide himself. She pulled it away as she turned him around a few times, before patting him on the ass.

Then she attached a leash to his collar, making him kneel in place, naked in the breeze while she inspected the other three the same way. Even Chris was too cold to fight her on it.

They didn’t have to wait for long before the bearded man, Jeff, lead him and Matt inside. Jensen released a breath of relief, glad he was allowed to walk, even as he got a small warning when he tried to cover himself up with his hands.

They were led towards a tiled shower outside. Jensen flinched as they were hosed off and covered in disinfectant before they were allowed inside the building. They were led to a kennel in the back of the building. The cages there were about twice the size of the ones they’d been transported in, and there was some kind of mattress that looked suspiciously like a dog bed. He tried not to think too much about that either. It wasn’t long enough for him to stretch out, but at least he no longer had to bend over all the time, which lessened the pressure on his back. The other side of the cage held a pack of paper towels ( _puppy training pads_ , his mind supplied) in one corner and a bowl of food in the other. They were the same kind of nuggets that they’d been given on the way here, and a water bottle attached to the side completed their accommodations.

Jensen was too hungry to hesitate and dove into the food before lying down. He knew he’d give in eventually, but he wasn’t planning on using the pads any sooner than he absolutely had to.

When Jeff and the woman came back inside, Jensen sat up at attention. The woman was short, at least a head if not more shorter than the man standing next to her.  She was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt and she shouldn’t have scared him nearly as much as she did.

“Hello boys. “ She flicked her head, and her long dark hair moved over her shoulders. “Welcome to Dark Angels, the number one store for all your pet needs. And also the only store in San Antonio that provides high-quality pets for the rich and influential.” Jensen shivered at the tone in her voice, cold, holding a warning, while pretending to be jovial.  “I own this place, and for now, that means I own you, heart, body and soul. It’s my responsibility to see to it that you get matched to the best owner I can find. It’s my job to check out any potential buyer and make sure you’ll be well cared for during your time in service.  Be good and I’ll make every last effort to get you the best match possible.”

 _And be a bad pet, and you’ll end up in the worst hell imaginable_ , Jensen added in his head.

“Jeff and Michael will be your trainers for the time that you spend here, until some lucky sod decides to do you the favor of buying your asses. You have no idea how lucky you are to get them. They’re the best in the business. Obey them, and we won’t have a problem, is that understood?”

Jensen had to fight the urge to answer “Yes Ma’am,” but it was clear the woman didn’t expect an answer from their side.

Jeff then opened Jensen’s cage and made him crawl back out, while the second guy went up to the girl’s cage, taking her with him. Jensen shivered and was about to get to his feet when Jeff turned to him.

“Down.”

 Jensen answered the command without thinking, falling back to his knees.

“Good boy.” Jensen trembled as the man petted his head. “From now on, you will stay on all fours like a good boy. Don’t worry, you’ll have your surgery within the week.”

Jensen was about to fall into another panic attack, but Jeff knelt beside him, petting him until he calmed down again.  “It’ll be fine, you’ll see.” Jensen leaned up to him for warmth and Jeff’s fingers scratched over his back. “The surgery will make it easier on you. Really, I know you don’t believe me, but most pets I’ve dealt with in my time here find it much easier to let go of their human ego once the surgery is over. You’d be surprised how much looking like a pet alters the way you think about yourself.”

Jensen’s eyes teared up. Jeff at least didn’t say anything about it, his hands lingering on Jensen’s ass, before moving to his neck and attaching the leash. Then the man took him to a fenced area outside and had him practice easy commands, correcting his form and  rewarding his eagerness to obey.

Sit, stay, fetch, come, … by the end of it Jensen was about ready to stick his tongue out of his lips to find breath. He was too tired to even think when Jeff took him to the pet toilet to do his business, or fight it when the man attached something to his collar and put a belt around his middle that was connected to something tying down his balls and dick. Jensen startled up when he felt a short electric shock.

He stared up at the man in a sense of near betrayal. Jeff just smiled. “That’s just a small warning dose,” Jeff said. “It’s connected to the voice box on your throat. Speak and it will shock you, speak again, the shock increases. Figure it out, you should be smart enough to do so.”

Startled, Jensen’s mouth fell open; he quickly shut it before he accidentally spoke up.

“Don’t worry, it’s just until the surgery, it will help you get into the proper mindset. Pets don’t talk, boy, not without their owner’s permission.”

By now Jensen would give anything for a time machine, anything to let him get back in time and keep his past self from ever signing that contract. To keep his parents from getting in that car, to at least add pet play to the things he wouldn’t do.

He hadn’t realized he’d started crying again until Jeff wiped the tears off his face. “Let it out, don’t try to hold It in, boy. There’s a good pet.” And when he found himself shaking and crying in the man’s arms, he’d never admit it to anyone, but it did make him feel better.

After that Jeff took him back to his cage and Jensen sank down, exhausted.  Desperate not to look at the others, instead he allowed himself to fall into a deep slumber, barely even noticing the sounds when the pets from the store joined them in the kennel. He lifted his face as he looked at the future awaiting them all.

At the young girl with cat ears and tail who purred as the keeper combed her hair before putting her to bed. Or the guy his own age who had long ears reminiscent of one of those cocker spaniels that Jensen remembered from old TV shows. When he fell asleep again, he found himself dreaming of a time spent chasing balls and chewing toys, playing with the children his brother might never have.. Put away like an old timer, too weak to ever be anything but a dog.

 

 

 


	3. Who's that doggie at the window

Training wasn’t easy. Jensen would wake up when the store pets were taken to their places and would eat and drink while he waited for Jeff to get him or Matt for their training. Then he’d get a few hours of rest before he’d be taken out to do it all over again. The first few days he’d found himself looking for a clock, but after a while even that bit of humanity lost its appeal.

The day that the vet came to the store, Jensen had been waiting for his food; normally by now he would have been fed already. He realized the reason for the delay almost as soon as he saw the man Jeff brought to his cage.

Jensen swallowed deeply, but didn’t fight when Jeff ordered him to follow. He let himself be led to the room in the back that had a place for the vet to do his work. It was all bog standard by now, vets like this guy did operations like the one Jensen was undergoing on a weekly basis. Hell, Jensen had had some classes on pet transition back when he was in med school. Unsurprisingly that didn’t help him feel better about the whole process.

He forced himself to calm down as he was laid out on his stomach on the table, breathed in the sedative put on his face and wished he could just join his parents.

When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was the itch. He tried to scratch himself, but his hands were cuffed together and tied to a pole by the side of the bed or table or whatever he was on. He tried to get up, but he soon found there were belts keeping him strapped down on his side.  Something kept patting his ass. He tried to look around, to find out what it was, but he couldn’t move enough to do so.

Suddenly something slapped his ass and he winced.

“I see you managed to wake up.” He recognized the voice as Jeff’s, even if the man didn’t appear in his range of sight.

He couldn’t move his head, which was barely supported, leaving his chin on the last edge of the bed. He tried to speak before his mind could warn him not to do so, but all that came out of him was some gargled words. His tongue felt weird, overly large.

“You’ve slept away the past two days. But then the vet says that’s best, it lets your body rest up before you start exerting it.” Jensen tried to move his legs, but found himself unable to do so fully.

“The vet had to rearrange your spine a bit, it should make it more comfortable for you to stay on all fours.” Jensen almost stopped breathing. “It’s alright sweetheart, it’s nothing irreversible. Once your service is over, the vet will put it all back the way it was. Easy as that. It’s a standard operation, I promise.”

Jensen shivered.

“You make such a pretty dog. I’m sure potential owners will be lining up to get their hands on you.”

It only made it worse. But Jeff kept petting him, and somehow the touch of the man’s hand on his bare skin was almost soothing.

 “Don’t look so sad, puppy boy. I’ve read your file, remember. Your profile said you’re specifically suitable for this life. And the people at Quenten are rarely wrong about things like that.” Jensen stared up in shock, trembling as he tried to think of all the tests the agency had put him through, unable to imagine what could ever have been in those files to suggest any such thing.

Now he wished he’d demanded to know what his file had said about him, because he couldn’t think of anything that would push him forward as a pet.

“Let’s give it another half an hour. After that I’ll bring you back to your crate so you can eat, rest up, maybe even use the pads if you have to go…. And I’ll be right there when you wake up again. Everything will look better in the morning.”

Jensen wanted to yell at him that he was wrong, but in between what was wrong with his tongue and the soreness in his throat, what came out of his lips ware barely recognizable as a bark.  And Jensen was too tired to fight Jeff when the man brought him back to his cage, unlocked the full front and laid him inside on his bed before returning to the back. Matt’s cage was still empty. Chris was sitting in the corner of his cage, glaring from behind a pair of whiskers that would make a Siamese jealous.

When he tried to eat he realized that the doctors had added some kind of gossamer between his fingers, tying them together, it hurt too much to try and scoop any of the pellets from his tray, but he was hungry, it felt like he hadn’t eaten in days. In the end he lifted the bowl up with both hands and pushed it to his face, pouring them in. He couldn’t get a good grip from the bowl though and it fell between his still hurting hands.  In the end he had to bend over and pick up the spread pellets with his tongue.

He had to still be drugged, because part of him didn’t care.

Jeff returned the next morning as promised, and there was no more time to rest before his training continued. One of the first things that went was the permission to use his hands while eating, not like he could use them with the way his fingers refused to cooperate. The drink bottles were replaced with drink bowls the week after. He had to learn to use his tongue to lick up the water the way that a dog did. It made it a lot easier to understand why Icarus used to make such a mess whenever Jensen or his siblings had filled the dog’s bowl. Icarus had died the first week of the plague; Mac had never even known him. Josh and Jensen had wanted to bury him in the garden, but they weren’t allowed.  The fear of the plague spreading to humans was too great.

They gave him a toy covered in sugar, it was almost addictive. If he bit into it his teeth would hurt, but if he licked it just right, he could taste the sugar covering the hard plastic. It didn’t escape his attention that the ‘toy’ was shaped like a dildo.

He found it hard to sit comfortably with the tail attached to his tailbone. He knew it was a cybernetic marvel, copying human nerves, making him almost as sensitive to someone touching his tail as he was to someone touching his dick. He shivered when Jeff used it as a reward when he managed to live up to the trainer’s expectations.

He’d been at the store for a few weeks when Jeff started adding butt plugs to his training. The man said it was to prepare him, so it wouldn’t hurt if his owner decided to use him. It wasn’t up to him whether he wanted it or not, that was his owner’s prerogative. So it wasn’t up to him when Jeff played with his hole, stretching the rim before pushing his fingers inside. Jensen hated the way his tail flapped left and right as if in response to Jeff’s touches.

He hated the ring put on his dick to keep him from making a mess. He hated even more how his body reacted to the man’s touch, without even a single move towards his dick. That was why he’d been so hesitant to sleep with men in the first place, because he knew just how much he liked to be a bottom and if he’d ever gotten started on it, he didn’t think he could go back to being on top.

After a month in training, Jensen had perfected the art of following on a leash, eating his food, drinking his water and just as importantly, the art of going to the toilet whenever and wherever his handler told him to go. It never stopped embarrassing him.

He was taught to play with toys, to fetch small rubber balls and keep them in between his jaws without leaving bite marks. He was taught to present, to follow, to lie in rest position, to heel, to come on command, and to suck off a dick and present his ass when ordered. Matt had been bought a week earlier, some guy had wanted an untrained pet, said he didn’t want the full experience. Jensen envied him for it. Chris had tried to escape at least twice; the last time he tried he’d been hobbled completely, a humbler kept him in pain whenever he tried to move. He was lucky that he hadn’t been reported. From the way that he was carefully following every order given to him, he’d finally understood that he was on his last chance.

By the time Jensen was considered ready for the store, he’d been in training for over three months. Christmas was only two weeks away and the entire store was decorated in the theme, including all the pets. He had to fight the urge to bite the red ribbon covering up his collar, the red glowing nose kept making him sneeze.  He knew there was something in the food, something that made it easier to ignore his nudity when he was waiting in his cage and strangers petted his belly. It made him sleepy and lazy and made days pass faster, so he never once complained about it. The more he ate of it, the more he wanted it, was it any wonder that most pets you saw in public looked almost blissed out?

Jensen lifted his head from his paws ( _not paws, hands_ , he reminded himself) when he heard voices approaching him. The man looking down on him was big, larger than Jensen himself, and Jensen lifted up his head as the man petted his head, scratching away the itch behind Jensen’s ears that only moments ago had seemed impossible to get rid off with his unresponsive front paws ( _hands)_.

The giant held his hand in front of Jensen’s face, and Jensen sniffed it obediently before carefully licking the man’s fingers, just as he’d been taught. “Such a sweet boy,” the man said, a twinkle in his eyes. Jensen couldn’t help but notice the dimples on the man’s cheeks.  “Such a big sweet boy.  Now what’s your name sweetie?”

Jensen lifted his head, unsure if the man meant for him to talk or not. He tried to answer, but his voice was barely understandable and what came out sounded like a bit of a bark more than his name.

“Jensen.” The man whispered as he checked the tag on Jensen’s collar. “Good boy, Jensen.” The man scratched behind his ears and Jensen found himself leaning into his touch. “Good Jenny Boy.” Jensen cringed at the bastardization of his name, but kept quiet. He knew that if his contract was bought, then his buyer could call him Twinkleprincess Sugarcube if they wanted, and he’d have to respond to it. But that didn’t mean he had to like it, he wasn’t a girl.

The man chuckled and moved his hand to scratch Jensen’s chin. “Such a good dog.” Jensen moved to his hands and feet to allow the man better access, and the guy took advantage of it to start scratching Jensen’s belly until his fingers reached Jensen’s thick cock, which had been locked in a cage for three weeks, since the last time he’d tried to get himself off. Jeff said he had to learn that that dick belonged to his owner, not to Jensen, not anymore. It was hard to remember when Jeff was playing with his nipples or petting his tail.

The man’s fingers scratched over Jensen’s cock and even within the cage precome dripped from its head.  “A very good dog.”

“Can I help you sir?” Both Jensen and the customer looked up as Rachel, one of the store clerks, walked up to them. Jensen quickly sat up properly , waiting for orders from the trainer.  He liked Rachel, she always had extra treats for the pets, for the ones that obeyed at least. “Oh hey, Jared. Jeff didn’t tell me you were coming in.”

The man smiled and his dimples if possible increased. Jensen wondered if it was the drugs that made him want Jared to keep on scratching him.

Jared and Rachel kept talking, but Jensen didn’t bother to listen too closely to their conversation, it wasn’t his business. They weren’t talking about him, so it didn’t involve him.

“How much is this one’s contract?” Jared’s hand moved to Jensen’s back, his fingers traveling down to Jensen’s ass. “I like him.”

“Oh we all like Jenny, he’s a sweet boy.” Jensen couldn’t help a soft growl at the nickname. “Doesn’t like to be called Jenny though.” They both laughed and Jensen gave in once again to the touch of Jared’s fingers on his tail.

Rachel pulled out her tablet and checked. “The price is about two hundred thousand in total, but in return for that you get a pet for at least thirty years,” Rachel answered, giving Jared a questioning look.

“Thirty? What about treats? Extra expenses?”

“Jensen signed for all extras to go to his family instead of shortening his service.”

Jared smile grew broader at hearing that, even as Jensen cringed.  “Such a sweet boy,” Jared whispered as he caressed Jensen’s stomach. Jensen rolled over, giving Jared better access to his belly and nipples.  “Who’s a good boy, yes you are, yes you are.” Jared kept whispering as he played with Jensen’s belly and ears, another hand messing with Jensen’s dick and balls. “I can see why Jeff likes you so much. Yes I can.” Jensen moaned under his touch, about ready to come at the pull of his tail.

When he finally stopped, Jensen rolled back on his stomach, leaning up on his haunches, hands in front of him.

“Think you guys can have him delivered by Christmas without having Jeff find out where he’s going?”

Rachel smiled and petted Jensen’s ass, making him embarrassed. “You have no idea how happy you’ll be making him, Jared. I’ve seen him looking at Jensen’s price tag at least a dozen times since the pet first came in.”

“I know, he won’t stop talking about him at home either. Figured I’d come in and check him out. After Harley… well I wasn’t sure if I wanted another pet. I didn’t want to disappoint Jeff, but I figured I’d at least get a look at the boy, see if that connection was there or not.”

“I know the feeling. I got a girl ten years ago; when her contract is up in five years, I don’t know if I could ever bring myself to get another one.”

Jensen was still too stunned to hear Jared talking about Jeff. The trainer was out getting more pets for the store. Jensen let himself sink down as Jared and Rachel left him behind and headed up to the counter, leaving Jensen to think of Jeff and his warm hands, and Jared and his smile. He took another lick of his drugged up water and doped up food and soon all thoughts left his mind all together. He was barely awake when Jeff returned.

Jeff who petted him, Jeff who was kind and who always had a soft word. Jensen could feel his tail twitching when he saw his soon-to-be master return, his thoughts focused in tunnel vision on Jeff’s face.

_Master._

Maybe being a pet wasn’t that bad after all.

Who know, maybe if Jeff and Jared owned him, they might actually let him come. He begged for a treat as he rested on his paws.

“I wish you were mine.” Jeff whispered in his ear as he petted him and put him to bed. “But I know I can’t have you. If you were mine, I’d never let you go.”

And the way he said it, Jensen didn’t think that would be all that bad.

 


End file.
